


Spinedog's RWBY drabble archive

by Spinedog



Category: RWBY
Genre: (unless otherwise specified), Canon Compliant, F/F, Mostly Fluff, collection of oneshots, loads of bumbleby
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2020-04-11
Packaged: 2021-02-26 23:14:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21687280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spinedog/pseuds/Spinedog
Summary: A collection of one-shots and drabbles. Pretty much all will be bumbleby oneshots, and most will be somewhat canon compliant. All 'chapters' will be marked with the rough timeline where they take place along the canon to make things easier. Ratings and archive warnings suspect to change.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long
Comments: 26
Kudos: 246





	1. [Vol 1] Ruby Rose: Knife Thrower

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I saw [this ficlet](https://phoenix-no.tumblr.com/post/189493459991/sharp) and all I could think of was this [RT Life video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfBVyVX488o). Ruby insists that she’s figured out throwing knives, Blake has mysterious amounts of knowledge about murder weapons, Weiss is offended at all times, and Yang is quietly gay.

After three weeks with their new team, Yang had noticed that Weiss and Blake seemed to settle in a bit. Of course, Ruby had settled right in right away. If anything, she seemed to struggle more with the idea of being a leader than with getting along with her new teammates. Yang herself was hardly fussed by the two girls - Weiss was a bit of a snob, sure, but there were glimpses of a more defiant, independent woman beneath. Blake, on the other hand, was... harder to read. There was a certain softness to her, when she thought no one was looking, but otherwise she was quiet at best and outright aloof at others. 

Which was why it was such a surprise when Yang walked past the common kitchen near the end of the night, and heard Blake’s sigh through the door. “Okay, is that it? Is that the one you’re gonna throw?” 

Weiss’ voice joined her. “How many throws are we talking? Are we talking one throw?”

“One throw, twenty lien.” Ruby’s high pitched voice vibrated with determination. 

Now she had to know. Yang backed up, softly pushing the door open. 

Ruby had the knife drawer open, both her and Weiss looking over its contents with an odd amount of focus. “But which is the best knife, though?”

Another low sigh, and Yang glanced sideways. Blake was leaning against the fridge, eyelids half closed, watching them with a look of resigned patience. “One that is not in here.”

Yang let the door swing shut behind her. All three girls jumped, only to relax at the sight of their fourth teammate. “What’cha up to, ladies?” 

Ruby nearly cut her off in her excitement to explain. “So, Blake thinks if I throw a knife by the blade-”

“No, no.” Blake cut her off with a shake of her head. “ _Ruby_ thinks.”

“I’m saying you don’t think it’ll go in.”

“Yeah, I’m _agreeing_ that it won’t go in.”

“No one has explained anything yet.” A smile had pulled her mouth sideways as she watched the two girls bicker.

Blake sighed again, but this time there was a glint of humor in the long-suffering noise. “Ruby’s going to throw a knife at the wall. She thinks if she grips it by the blade, that just immediately confers the ability to stick it in the wall.”

Either Blake’s sarcasm had gone straight over her head, or Ruby was too excited to care. She brandished a steak knife in her hand, ignoring Weiss’ hissing. “It will go...” She mimed the knife tumbling through the air with a _‘shw shw shw’_ noise, then held it against the wall with a helpful ‘ _tiiing_ ’.

There were about twenty things wrong with Ruby’s theory that Yang could see right away, and probably forty more if she’d spent any more time thinking about it. But there was no fun in pointing that out, and she raised an eyebrow. “Do I get part of your winnings if I help you choose?”

“Yeah, I’ll give you five bucks.”

Yang immediately strode forwards, brushing Ruby out of the way, and began to hunt through the drawer. “I would say this one is your best bet, Rubes.” She said after a moment, pulling out a large steak knife. “This one is forged, it’s all one piece.”

“That looks a bit too steep?” 

“Nah, look.” Yang dropped the knife, point first, and grinned as it sunk into the wooden floor, drawing an awed gasp from Ruby and another hiss from Weiss to stop brandishing knives. “Lookit that!”

“Okay, look.” Blake brushed by her in a flurry of dark hair and tired tone, yanking the knife out of the ground. “Watch this. This is why this is not gonna work. Throwing knives are balanced at the hilt.” She extended one finger, and carefully placed the knife on it, exactly where the blade met the handle.

Ruby crossed her arms. “Yeah?”

“Right.” Blake’s eyes did not leave Ruby’s as she released the knife. It immediately flipped over her fingers and clattered to the ground.

“Right?” Ruby sputtered, bending to pick up the fallen knife. “You’ve proved nothing.”

“It should have stayed on my finger.” 

There was a moment of embarrassed silence, and for a split second Yang wondered if she was going to have to ask Blake to apologize to Ruby. 

But instead of rubbing her sister’s nose in the victory, Blake turned to paw through the drawer herself. After a moment, she produced a much smaller blade that looked like it would be used for fruit or vegetables, and handed it towards Ruby. “Try that.”

Ruby’s cheeks were still a bit redder than before. But she took the blade and began to carefully move it along her finger. A grin appeared on her face as she found a spot along the blade that length that would balance it on her finger, just past the hilt. 

Blake nodded with a slight amount of approval. “That one is balanced... below the blade. It still won’t work properly, but you might be able to throw it.”

Yang cocked her head, turning slightly to examine her new partner. “Why does it need to be balanced at the hilt?” She didn’t know much about throwing knives, nor did she plan to start using them, but new knowledge could always be useful.

Blake picked up the steak knife off the counter, turning to face Yang. “You want it to be balanced right at the midline of the knife, so that as it tumbles...” She trailed off, turning the knife end over end in her hands to mime the motion.

 _Oh._ Yang tilted her head, doing the math in her head. _So it tumbles evenly. Of course._ She didn’t say it out loud, but Blake must have seen her eyes light up, because a small smile appeared on her mouth.

Ruby interrupted, but Yang was still watching, the deceptively well-oiled mind hiding beneath her golden locks turning the new information over and over. “Why does she know so many small facts about everything? I’m like ‘what about this’ and she goes ‘ah well it isn’t balanced at the hilt’.” The imitation of Blake’s voice was a little mocking. But the bright smile destroyed any possibility that she might be angry at her teammate as she handed her the chosen knife.

“Well, I know my blades.” Blake gave a half-smile in response, clinking the two pieces of steel together. “What can I say?”

Weiss rolled her eyes theatrically. “We should do this in our room before someone comes and gives us detention.”

No one had any argument for that, Blake slid the knife below her jacket, and all four girls quickly moved back down the hallway. As they walked, Yang found herself watching her dark haired partner. Blake did seem to know a little about everything, especially with weapons and fighting. Then again, Ruby was certainly like that with any kind of gun. But Blake’s knowledge was... different. Less like she’d read about things, more like she’d lived with them. 

Yang watched the black bow on her head bob as they walked, the one she’d never seen Blake without, and wondered how many secrets dwelled in the mind below it.

Once they were in their room and the door was closed, the bet was back on. Yang hopped up to sit on the desk, well out of the way as she watched Ruby examined the map of Vale that had been hung on the closet door. 

Weiss leaned in, obviously interested despite her attempts to look otherwise. “Where are you aiming?”

“Gonna aim for Forever Fall. Right there.” She pointed at the chosen spot, almost vibrating as Blake handed her the knife. “We decide who gets what? Yang, you get five if I hit it?”

“Nah, I didn’t choose the knife for you, remember?” Yang was fighting not to laugh as she glanced at Blake, who had leaned against the wall with a calm expression. She knew as well as Blake did that this would never work. This was all just for entertainment now. “That twenty is all yours if you get it.”

Ruby nodded emphatically, as Weiss carefully moved to the other side of the desk to be as far away as possible. “All right, let’s get this over with.”

Yang nodded with a grin. “Good luck, Ruby.”

“Okay, here we go.” Ruby exhaled, trying not to bounce as she carefully held the blade, taking a step backwards. Her eyes squinted, focusing on the faint red area with the same focus that, with Crescent Rose, could drop a Grimm from fifty paces away.

She threw the knife. It tumbled in all three dimensions before the hilt pathetically bounced off the dot, and land on the floor below it. Her aim had actually been fabulous. But that hadn’t been the bet.

“That’s twenty lien.” Yang spoke calmly, a snicker barely sneaking into the last word. “Wanna go for forty?”

“Hmmm.” Ruby leaned back on her heel, humming and tapping her chin. Yang knew that she was already re-calculating the throw, trying to figure out where her theory had gone wrong.

Blake pushed off the wall, a chuckle of her own vibrating in her words. “You failed on multiple levels, there, that was tumbling in both directions. Look at that.” She strode over for the knife, picking it up and showing it to Ruby as she walked over to stand in front of her. “Now - you can throw this and still stick it in the wall.” She raised her eyebrows, patiently showing Ruby how she was gripping the blade - by the close end of the hilt, her index finger resting on the top of the blade itself. “But you need to counter the rotation. You need to throw it like this.” She made a motion with her arm shoulder, showing how she would move if she were to throw it. 

Ruby was already nodding, eyes bright again as she saw the point her teammate was making, watching the knife as it moved. Yang was watching as well - but her eyes had fallen to the toned muscles in Blake’s arm, watching the way her lean body moved with the slow mock throw.

Weiss, on the other hand, seemed to have taken some offense to Ruby’s defeat. “You do it, then.” She challenged.

If Yang hadn’t already been looking at Blake, she wouldn’t have seen it. The golden eyes flicked up to Yang’s, as though she’d intended to make some kind of joke. Something changed in her face as she saw that Yang was already watching her, eyes on her arms and stance with what, Yang belatedly realized, probably looked a lot like admiration.

Before Yang could even think to be embarrassed, Blake swiveled on her heel, eyes hardening into a laser focus on the map. In one swift, fluid motion, the dark hair was tossed over her shoulder, her hand came up, she exhaled, and her arm came flying back down with a shocking amount of force.

The knife sailed across the room and buried itself in the closet door, perfectly bisecting the train tracks that ran through the middle of Forever Fall.

Silence rang out in the room as all four girls stared at the knife. It could have been a mistake. Yang was sitting on the desk beside her. But when Blake turned around, her eyes locked directly with Yang, not Weiss, as she quirked her eyebrows.

“Oh. Kay.” A nervous laugh escaped from Weiss, miles away at the chair behind Yang.

“I’m scared of Blake even more than I was.” Ruby didn’t sound terribly frightened, though her excited bouncing was slightly lessened and her eyes had gone slightly round.

Blake’s eyebrows came very slightly down, and her mouth opened as though to apologize, and that was all the confirmation that Yang needed.

All three girls jumped as Yang let out a loud whoop, cackling. “Now _that_ was a mic drop!”

Both Ruby and Weiss broke into a more honest laugh, and Yang felt an odd warmth in her chest as Blake sheepishly joined in, weakly shrugging as Yang raised her eyebrows.

_You were showing off, Belladonna._


	2. [Vol 1/2] Wandering Eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From prompt requests on Tumblr - prompt was _some mutal pining bumbleby?_
> 
> [Tumblr post can be seen here](https://spinedog.tumblr.com/post/611546031198552064/some-mutal-pining-bumbleby-yall-ever-been-gay)

In the books, it always seemed like stumbling across a shirtless person was a scandalous, lustful moment. She’d never actually caught Adam shirtless, or really anyone she’d ever been interested in. Even since coming to Beacon, she’d kept her eyes averted even on nights like last night, when the warm air necessitated sleeping in little more than a bra and shorts. She’d always thought that if she did, she would react like one of the many characters she’d read about - blush furiously, avert her eyes, and focus on taming her own wild thoughts.

In reality, Blake was the last to notice that she was staring.

Sunlight streamed through the window, the sun still clawing its way above the horizon. Yang’s back was to her, attention focused on hunting through the closet. Her tattered sports bra hugged her ribs, boy’s boxers low on her hips. Blake wasn’t supposed to be awake yet - it was Saturday, it was early, and Weiss and Ruby were still snoring on the other side of the room. Which was probably why Yang had felt comfortable enough to get dressed in full view of the bunk beds.

She stretched, toned muscles gliding underneath scar-spangled skin. Yang’s back and shoulders flexed past the mess of golden hair, pronouncing the mixture of curves and angles that formed the slopes of her sides down to her hips. A joint cracked; a groan and a content sigh followed. Her arms dropped back down and Yang rolled her shoulders with a yawn. One arm came up again to paw through the closet, quietly pulling hangars away from each other, hunting for one of the few casual shirts that she wore on weekends.

Blake watched scars catch the sunlight and shine against her skin, and thought Yang should stay in the exact outfit she was in now. Ideally for the entire weekend. Maybe longer.

Yang’s head turned slightly, looking towards the mirror on the dresser. A pause. Then a whisper. “Morning.”

For a moment, Blake thought Yang was talking to her own reflection. Then her eyes flicked to the mirror, and found a pair of bright lilac eyes staring back at her.

All of a sudden, the books were accurate again. “Morning. Sorry, I-” Blake felt her face flush as she sat up, trying not to shiver in the cold morning air. But she didn’t let her eyes leave the toned, entrancing form in front of her - it would be more suspicious if she suddenly looked away. _Find an excuse for staring, find an excuse for staring, find-_ “- are all of the scars from Grimm?” She managed to whisper, somewhat lamely.

“Yeah, most of them.” Yang’s eyes, she realized, were still on her, but a bit lower. “Are yours?”

Blake blinked, and realized that she was sitting up in bed, her own torso clad in only a black sports bra. Old reminders glinted on her own abdomen and arms - not as toned as Yang’s but smoother, sleeker. “…not all of them.”

When she looked up, she caught Yang’s eyes still on her body before they snapped back to the closet, cheeks slightly red.

A sheepish smile pulled at Blake’s mouth, watching a similar one form on Yang’s face as she finally pulled a shirt out of the closet and pulled it on, hiding the artwork beneath. “You cold?”

“A bit.” Blake held out her hand and easily caught the shirt Yang tossed her way, pulling it over her own skin.

She was almost relieved to see the split second of disappointment on Yang’s face, before a sleepy groan split the air and both girls were forced to focus elsewhere.


	3. [AU-College] - Inhibitions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From prompt requests on Tumblr - prompt was _Weiss, Blake and Yang taking Ruby out to drinks for her 21st._
> 
> [Tumblr post can be seen here](https://spinedog.tumblr.com/post/612416855782588416/prompt-idea-weiss-blake-and-yang-taking-ruby-out)

Halloween probably wasn’t the best day to introduce someone to the world of drinking - which was exactly why they had decided to skip the campus bar in favor of the ‘adult’ section of a local Boston Pizza. Still within walking distance from the apartment the four girls shared, but far enough away from campus to avoid the chaos of drunk, costumed students.

Though, to be fair, they had apparently brought some chaos of their own.

“Dead-eye!” The shriek carried through the hubbub of the pub’s patrons as Ruby brandished a plastic rifle. They’d all opted to leave costumes at home and just enjoy the night, but Ruby hadn’t bothered to completely wash off the Grim Reaper skull painted on her face. The remnants of the black and white painted flash in the light of the winning screen on the Big Buck Hunter machine as Ruby turned to Weiss. “Get it? _Dead_ eye?” She gestured to her face, grin spreading to cartoonish proportions.

“I - I hate you. Why did we walk all the way out here if you were just going to find a way to play video games anyways?” Weiss waved her arms in a mixture of fury and disbelief, freshly unbraided hair cascading down her back. “And how are you getting better?”

Ruby blinked, as though caught off guard. Then slowly offered the rifle. “…do you want a turn?”

From the relative calm of their booth nearby, Yang chuckled as Weiss accepted the plastic weapon with a huff. “So - do you think Schnee’s gonna be a mean drunk, or just a feisty one?” She’d long since taken off the sunglasses and leather jacket, but she could still feel the paint on half her face that Ruby had layered on. Apparently the Terminator look had suited her, at least according to Ruby’s glee and Weiss’ split second of admiration. Even Blake had done a double-take when she’d caught sight of Yang this morning. 

The shadow in her peripheral vision shifted her weight, taking another sip of the rum and coke in front of her. “Feisty - alcohol just removes your inhibitions, doesn’t change who you are. And Weiss doesn’t have a mean bone in her body.”

That, she didn’t expect. Yang turned in her chair to examine Blake. “You think so? I thought you and Weiss didn’t get along.”

The lean woman shrugged, rocking back and forth as she settled into a cross-legged position on the bench. “Thought she was a spoiled bitch at first, but she’s actually not. She’s just… snappy. Like a little dog. But she never means any harm.” A smile flickered on Blake’s usually stoic face as she watched the two girls squabble at the elderly shooting game in the corner.

Yang, on the other hand, had completely forgotten about Weiss, Ruby, and the game. Blake had always been something of a mystery in the two months the three girls had lived together. Always quiet, always keeping to herself, barely interacting with anyone past the occasional nod or dry joke. Hell, she hadn’t even chosen a costume for Halloween, going to classes in her usual clothing with a dry comment that she’d dressed up as a broke college student. 

Yet here she was, watching Ruby and Weiss with something that looked like fondness.

“Can I ask you something?” Yang chose her words carefully, not wanting to spook the girl in front of her back into hiding.

Blake shrugged, eyes flashing gold in the dim light as she turned back to Yang. “Shoot.” 

“…do you like us? I mean, Weiss, Ruby, and I.”

“Yeah.” Blake responded with shocking speed, blinking at her as though confused. “Why wouldn’t I? I’m not… I’m not rude or mean to you, am I?” The confusion sunk into an anxious tone, her brow suddenly knitting together.

“No, no no.” Yang hurriedly shook her head. “Not at all. Honestly, I always kind of got the impression we annoy you more than anything else. Which I wouldn’t blame you for, we are pretty damn annoying.” She injected some humor into her voice, chuckling past the water she was taking a sip of. But her gaze stayed on the woman in front of her, watching for any flash of the soul that she seemed so careful to hide.

The alcohol’s influence was clear as Blake tilted her head, as though taking the answer into careful consideration. “…no. I don’t. It’s fun being in the condo with you guys. Gives me something else to think about; I barely have to read that much anymore.”

The last sentence was a loaded gun if Yang had ever heard one. _What do you need to distract yourself from?_ But she had no intentions of delving any further into Blake’s mind - at least, not while she was tipsy and her thoughts were pouring out like sand through a sieve. Instead, she leaned back in her chair and smiled at her. “…I’m glad. I was kind of worried about you - I want you to have fun too, but I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“You don’t.” Blake replied far too quickly, the golden eyes locking onto Yang’s. “You never do. And that’s… that’s rare. Or… no, not rare, I guess but like…” She gestured, frustration pressing her lips into a tight line. “…you always ask. You ask me if I want to come with you to the store. You ask if you can come into my room. You ask if you can borrow something. Ruby and Weiss are respectful, they don’t intrude on me, but they don’t ask, they just assume that I’ll say no. They’re usually right, but you ask first. I… I kind of thought you’d stop asking. But you still do. I appreciate it.”

Now Yang knew she was too far in, that she was glimpsing information that she didn’t have the clearance for. But there was something desperate in Blake’s eyes now - like she was trying to reach out, make a connection. 

So Yang shifted her weight, placed her elbows on the table, and met the gaze searing into her. “Hey. I know you’re drunk right now, and you might be embarrassed about this in the morning. But, you’ll remember this, so I’m gonna say it right now - if you need to talk about things, come to me and talk, okay? It’ll stay between us. This will too.”

Blake blinked, slowly, her brows gathering very slightly. When her eyes opened, they were glassy. “…I might want to, once I’m sober. Just so you know.” Her voice trembled, as though it was a warning, as though she expected Yang to retract the offer. 

Instead, she nodded. “Anytime.” She almost made a joke about ‘maybe not at three in the morning’ - but the way the dim lights refracted inside the glassy irises made her swallow it. Blake could absolutely wake her up in the dead of night to talk. Any day of the week - or every day of the week. That would be fine.

A squeal from across the bar forced both women to look up. Ruby jumped up and down, a grin splitting across her face as Weiss triumphantly brandished the plastic rifle, a high score appearing above Ruby’s. 

When Yang glanced back at Blake, she expected the illusion to be broken, to find the usual stoic look settling over her fine features. But instead, the fond smile was back and blossoming into a quiet laugh. “So, the spoiled white girl knows how to shoot. Never would have guessed.”

Yang settled back into her chair, a chuckle of her own weaving into Blake’s in the musty air. “Must be the alcohol.”


	4. [Vol7] Phantom Pain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From prompt requests on Tumblr - prompt was _Would you be so kind as to provide some Yangst?_

“Come on. Come _ON_ , you _useless_ …”

Yang fought to keep her voice under a whisper, ignoring the tears that had escaped her eyes. Phantom pain hadn’t bothered her for a while now, as long as she had the prosthetic to help fool her muscles and mind. But, now that they’d reached Atlas, Dr. Piertro had offered to take her arm to upgrade it. He hadn’t borrowed it yet - they’d agreed she would to keep it while he was working on their other weapons, and only hand it over when he needed it so she could go the least amount of time without it. But, knowing that they would be parted eventually, Yang had decided to try sleeping without the arm for a night. Cold metal wasn’t exactly the most comfortable thing to be cuddled up to for the night anyways.

Now she was sitting at the small desk chair in their dorm room, the clock on the wall was flickering at 2:03am, and small discomfort was the least of her concerns.

Her metal arm was hastily attached to her stump, repeatedly clenching and relaxing her fingers as she fought to keep herself from screaming. But it wasn’t enough - she could feel her real arm. It was trapped underneath the metal, clenched with joint-cracking tension, every muscle stretching like an old rubber band.

 _You’re gone. You’re not real._ She stared at dented fingers as they whirred back into a fist, obeying the signals firing down to the metal disc that sat at the end of her arm. She gave a ragged inhale, squeezing her eyes closed. _Go back to sleep._

A groan split the air, and Yang froze. Her eyes flicked up, finding Blake’s bunk in the darkness. She hadn’t moved - still curled on her side, facing away from the room, ears rotated sideways as she slept.

Beside her, a blanket rustled as Weiss slowly sat up. “…Yang?”

“Didn’t mean to wake you, sorry.” Yang fought to keep the whisper from cracking, and hoped to the Brothers that Weiss couldn’t see her face in the dark. “Everything’s okay, go back to sleep.”

White-blonde hair shone in the moonlight as Weiss swung her legs over the edge of the bed, blinking with sudden awareness. “Is it your arm?” Her voice rose very slightly.

“Nononono, _shhhh_.” Yang hissed, eyes involuntarily flicking over to Blake. Had her ear been pointed towards her before?

A mattress squeaked slightly beside her. Then a dark figure moved between her Blake, headed for the door. Light spilled from the hallway as Weiss opened the door, scroll clutched in one hand and motioning at Yang to follow. 

She hesitated for only a moment, then stood. She realized that the rest of the muscles in her body had wound themselves into a tight, painful ball as she hobbled after Weiss, scrubbing at her face with her good hand. 

Weiss carefully closed the door behind them, and then started down the hall. Yang wasn’t sure if she’d ever seen Weiss out in the open like this - hair spilling down her shoulders in uncontrolled waves, dressed in the same standard issue t-shirt and sweats that Yang was wearing. Perhaps even more out of place was the obvious concern in her furrowed brow as she glanced sideways. “Phantom pain?”

“Yeah.” At least the situation was distracting her from the agony spiking up her arm, allowing her to draw breath a little easier. “Really hoping that Piertro doesn’t need the arm overnight.”

“Mm.” Weiss stopped at a lit glass door. She fumbled for the scroll, and held it up to the sensor beside the door. A pause, a beep, and the door unlocked with a loud click. Weiss didn’t blink, pulling the door open and holding it for Yang. 

Yang blinked as she stepped inside and recognized what looked like a nurse’s office. “Are you supposed to have access to this place?”

Weiss snorted. “You need painkillers right now. They’re more than welcome to yell at me in the morning.” She turned, standing on her toes to hunt through the cupboard. “Have you taken anything for it before?”

“…just muscle relaxants. It’s just a matter of convincing my mind it’s relaxing.” She gave a weak laugh, carefully sitting down in the chair in the corner of the small room “It’s not like the thing that hurts is actually real, anyways.”

She thought she saw Weiss’ hand hesitate as she pushed a couple bottles out of the way. “…I guess so, yeah.” She pulled a familiar bottle out of the back of the cupboard, and shook a single pill out onto her palm, offering it to Yang. “Do you need water to-”

Yang took it from her and swallowed it before she could finish the sentence. “Nope.” She grunted.

Weiss slowly turned and pulled a cup off the shelf anyways. “Why didn’t you want Blake to know?” 

“She was asleep. Didn’t want to wake her up.” Yang didn’t look up, focusing on clenching then relaxing her mechanical fingers. 

“You panicked when you thought I woke her up.” Weiss’ voice was dry as ever over the rush of water in the sink. “I thought you two were doing better now.”

“It’s not that.” Yang responded a touch too quickly, gritting her teeth.

A hand pushed the cup of water into her free hand. She glanced up, and found Weiss leaning against the counter, watching with tired but concerned eyes.

Yang sighed, and swallowed a mouthful of surprisingly cold water. “It’s not her fault. It never was. But… Just worried she’d blame herself if she knew.”

“…ah.” The pale face tilted slightly.

“It’s not her fault.” The words slowly twisted out of Yang’s mouth. “She’s… he really hurt her. Deep down, y’know? She blames herself first, always. I think… I think that was why she ran. I think she thought she was protecting me.” Yang kept her eyes on the curling fingers, imagining the tight muscles in her back relaxing instead of acknowledging the swirling emotion in her chest. “…she looks happy now. I just… want that to stay.”

A long pause, Then the bench squeaked as Weiss sat down beside her. “You’re just as big of a dolt as your sister, you know that?”

Yang exhaled through her nose, the corner of her mouth cracking into a smile. “Who do you think taught her?”

“Suddenly it’s all making sense.” The dry tone faded, and Weiss sighed. “Look, Yang, you don’t have to be strong all the time. You can’t be, actually - and Blake knows that, she’s not blind. She’s probably going to be more nervous about you trying to hide it from her than she would be if you’re open about it. I’m not saying you should go and wake her up now, but… you’re allowed to ask for help. And as charming as my company is, Blake would probably appreciate you leaning on her every now and then. I think she still worries that we don’t trust her.” 

That caught Yang’s attention. She frowned, glancing up at Weiss. “Why wouldn’t we?”

Weiss stared at her, slowly closed her eyes, then slowly re-opened them. “Yang. What did we talk about the last time you and I had a heart-to-heart?”

 _…Oh._ It felt like so long ago, somehow, that Yang had been alone and heartbroken, bitter in her isolation. Her eyes fell to the ground. “…I wasn’t even really mad at her then.” She admitted, her voice soft. “I wanted to be. But… I couldn’t. I just didn’t understand.”

“I know. But Blake doesn’t - or, at least I assume she doesn’t.” Weiss’ voice was uncharacteristically soft as she gently bumped her slim shoulder against Yang’s far more muscular one. “Let yourself be a little vulnerable, and just talk to her. It’ll be harder for her to blame herself if she believes that you don’t.”

Her arm still hurt like Darkness. But the words settled into Yang’s gut, soothing the tension that she hadn’t even realized was there. She gently bumped Weiss back, letting a hollow laugh escape. “When did you end up being the team mom?”

“Probably when my two reliable teammates went soft for each other.” Weiss replied, dry sarcasm back and stronger than ever.

Yang, on the other hand, snorted with laughter before sobering. “Hey. Same goes for you, okay? If you need to lean on any of us, do it. This… I know this isn’t a happy place for you.”

Weiss’ gaze fell slightly at that, but she smiled in an oddly quiet way. “It’s not as bad as I thought it was going to be, actually. It’s easier when I have…” She inhaled, then rolled her eyes, the tired smile never fading. “…you know. My family.” 

Yang wrapped her good arm around the slim shoulders, and pulled the shorter woman into a sideways hug. “You’re damn right you do.” 

Weiss’ head fell against her shoulder, revealing the door beside them. For a split second, Yang caught a flash of black hair and a small smile behind the glass. But Blake was back out of sight before Yang could so much as blink, probably headed back towards their bunk to return to faking sleep. 

They would get more time to talk. Especially if Piertro did need to keep Yang’s arm overnight.

But the moment, Yang let her head rest against the messy white hair, and focused on flexing and relaxing her hand again, waiting for the arm’s memory to return to its slumber.


	5. [AU - Married] Duck it All

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From prompt requests on Tumblr - prompt was _Married Bee Banter ft. Blake being a tease, if you would so very kindly._
> 
> Also [inspired by this video](https://www.facebook.com/LADbible/videos/266257801050927/) because typical domestic situations aren't one of my strengths, and I found inspiration in an odd spot.

“Bumblebee, what have you _done?”_

The bright yellow eyes blinked at her as the fat calico stretched out across the hallway, barely lit by the dawn’s light streaming through the window above their back door. Behind her, placed neatly beside her shoes, was a heap of dark feathers and the realization that any only hope of a peaceful Saturday with her wife and kids had flown out the window.

“How is it that you-” Blake’s voice faltered as her mind whirled with endless questions, but only the largest and most confounding escaped her lips. “How did you kill a _duck?!”_

“Don’t wake girls, they’ll freak out if they see this.” The hoarse whisper echoed down the hallway from where Yang had peeked around the corner. “Is it alive?”

“I don’t think so.” Blake lowered her voice as slowly reached towards the light switch, and flicked it with a loud click. The duck – a female mallard, the back of her mind unhelpfully added – was laying sideways, its neck extended, wings and feet neatly tucked. It was in shockingly good shape, no blood, no unnaturally bent limbs, not even so much as a mussed feather. But it was still as a rock. Bumblebee rolled onto her back beside it, exposing the vast expanse of vibrating tummy as she purred, and Blake let out her breath. “No. No it’s not.”

“Goddammit.” She heard the rustle of Yang rubbing her head. “How’d she get it through the cat flap?”

It was a valid question, considering the cat flap was barely wide enough for the cat that they’d added to the family a few months ago. But the question reminded her of a different mystery. Blake glanced backwards. “Why was it unlocked in the first place?” Sleep and annoyance blunted her tone.

She didn’t really have to answer – the uncomfortable wince spoke for her. 

_“Yang-”_

“She wanted out!” Yang threw her hands up as she hissed back in as low of a tone as she could manage. “It was four in the morning! She’s crazy about breakfast, I figured she wouldn’t go far!”

Blake bit down on what would have been the thirteenth repetition of the ‘indoor cat’ lecture, and turned back to the sad, limp form of the bird. Didn’t matter why the bird was dead, only that they had to deal with it now.

Yang must have arrived at the same thought, as a much quieter and more guilty question floated past her. “…what should we do?”

“I don’t know. Ah…” Blake forced herself to think as she carefully knelt down next to the dead bird. “Can you get me a blanket? Or a towel, I’ll cover it up. I’ll bury it if you keep the girls busy.”

A brown eye that didn’t really look dead at all stared back at her, and she could hear the guilt and regret in Yang’s voice as she turned towards the closet. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll-”

Blake’s fingers brushed feathers, the duck’s pupil constricted, and whatever Yang intended to do would remain a mystery.

The duck took flight in an explosion of flapping and insulted quacking, and a string of startled profanity escaped as Blake involuntarily jerked backwards. Yang yelped, but to Blake’s surprise, jumped in front of the bird in an attempt to stop it from going any further into the house. The ball of chaotically flapping wings and little orange feet barely managed to hang a right turn before hitting her, and flew straight through the doorway to their bedroom.

Triumph lit up Yang’s face – and immediately fell as she looked sideways. “Oh God it’s on the BED!”

Something about her wife’s sudden dismay was enough to push her over the edge, and Blake’s breathing dissolved into hysterical laughter. Yang’s hands covered her face, but she’d already broken into relieved laughter as well.

“Right. Okay.” Blake managed as she stood. There was absolutely no way the girls had slept through that. Well, at least Mari couldn’t have, she wouldn’t have been surprised if Ash had. “Okay. I’ll – I’ll go open the window, you go and -”

“Mom?” Right on cue, a half-asleep voice and footsteps echoed down the hallway.

Yang quickly turned towards the sound of the older and far more anxious of their two daughters, and Blake slipped through the doorway.

The incredibly lucky duck was indeed standing square in the middle of their bed, ruffling its feathers and staring at her. “All right.” Blake inhaled to quiet the last of her giggles as she pulled the door shut. “I’m shutting the door. No more cat. Okay stay-“ 

Apparently, ducks owed no man or woman any loyalty, and the brown bird shot off the side of the bed to land on the far side of the bed with a loud rush of wingbeats. “Oh sit DOWN duck.” Blake snapped, accidentally slipping into the ‘Mom’ tone that Yang insisted was far more effective than hers. 

At least the duck, now quietly sitting on the other side of the bed and eyeing her reproachfully, seemed to agree. Blake exhaled as she carefully navigated around the bed towards the window. “Right, stay there.”

_“Quack.”_

“Yes, I know, not an ideal start to the day.” She could faintly hear their daughter interrogating Yang as she maneuvered the screen out of the window. The duck let out another loud complaint, and Blake replied absent-mindedly. “Yes, quack-quack.” The window squeaked open and Blake turned to the annoyed waterfowl behind the bed. “Okay, ma’am, away you go.”

Of course, herding the duck out of the narrow space wasn’t quite as easy. Blake grunted as she climbed onto the bed, dropping her hand to shoo the duck towards the window.

Yang’s voice filtered through the door. “You doing okay in there?” 

“Oh, yeah, we’re just having a chat.” Maybe it was just the mild delirium of relief, but Blake’s response was out of her mouth before she could even process her own sarcasm. “Actually, she’s talking about pressing charges. Something about ‘reckless endangerment’.”

“Oh dear.” The mock concern brought a smile to Blake’s face. “Didn’t know you spoke duck.” 

“Fluently.” Blake let out a loud sigh of relief as the duck waddled out from between the bed and wall, peering up at the early morning light outside. “Okay, there’s freedom, go on.”

The door creaked, drawing Blake’s gaze. Three pairs of eyes peering into the room – one lavender with dark circles below them and laughter in them, one warm and brown and wide with worry, and one glaring gold from Yang’s arm. Yang raised her hand in a sheepish wave at the duck. “I’m really sorry, I hope you have a long life and a lot of children, ma’am.”

As if it had been waiting for an apology, the female mallard turned back to the window and launched herself out with a clumsy running start. 

Blake quickly jumped forwards and cranked the window shut. Yang let out a triumphant, relieved cackle, lowering Bumblebee to the ground with an annoyed _‘mrrp’_. “Okay, ladies, I think it’s time we all had breakfast. Yeah?” 

“Yeah.” Blake felt a tired smile pull across her face as the radiant light that her wife always seemed to emanate filled the room. “I think that sounds perfect.” 

“Um…” Mari hesitantly broke the silence, slowly blinking and pushing her blonde hair out of her face. “…what about the charges?” She asked in a quiet, nervous voice.

Yang nearly choked, whirling away to hide the hysterical laughter. Blake on the other hand, gave her daughter an easy smile. “No charges, honey. We came to an agreement.”


End file.
